[Mrs. Don-o]

"In business after business in the Philippines you can see, hanging on the walls, god shelves, where BOTH Roman Catholic idols and Buddhist idols are placed together, and incense is burning there."

Let me make one large point, and one larger point.

The large point: no Christians ---and this includes Catholics, Orthoidox, and Protestants--- use representational art (photographs, paintings, statues, mosaics, etc.) as idols. We use them as memorials to show remembrance, respect, honor, love.

• If a young woman in love kisses the photograph of her fiance, it shows the impetuousness of her feelings and the ongoing nature of her commitment.
• If a mother of a slain soldier displays her dead son's medal on the mantel with a candle or a flower arrangement next to it, she is showing solemn respect.
• If a patriot places his hand over his heart and addresses a symbol of his country ("I pledge allegiance to the flag...") he is showing loyalty and honor.

  Neither this, nor any other handling of a symbolic object by a Christian, is idolatrous.

  Now here's the larger point. The Catholic faith forbids the worship of idols, or of any creature, or of any putative "god" except for the True God, the Most Blessed Trinity. Do some confused Catholics tolerate the syncretistic worship of Buddha, Shiva or whatever? You could probably find some --- and not only in the Philippines.

  But a well-instructed Catholic would not do such a thing, any more than a well-instructed Baptist would. I wish all Baptists and all Catholics were better Christians. If you wish the same, then we're in fundmental agreement.

[Free Baptist]

Again, you're only comenting based on what you see of Roman Catholicism as practiced by Americans, and in a country where there has been more open Bible preaching and teaching than in any other country on earth in the history of the world. Roman Catholicism has an entirely different face and color in the Philippines and other such nations.